The Lukehart Family

1st birthday party!

2008-02-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

What a fun day we had! My girls had their very first birthday party on Sunday, and let me tell ya - mom had more than a little fun with all the pink. :) We had pink and green plates, cups, and cupcakes - not to mention matching pink outfits!

The whole family:

Mom and the girls (Lily on Left, Payton on Right)
Mom and Payton
Mom and Lily

Aunt Carolyn and Payton
Breckin eating celery (!!!)
Dad and Lily (who wanted no one else BUT dad yesterday)
The big kids eating lunch
Presents!

Hangin' with Cookie and Elmo

Cupcakes!

After the party

In their jammies from Grandma Genia (Lily just wanted a bottle!) :)

Happy birthday girls!

2008-02-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

How can they possibly be a year old already? I realize the past year has passed in a haze of sleeplessness, although I expected it to last a little bit longer than it has.

Payton, my oldest (by a whole 3 minutes!) is a little climber - she can get up anywhere. Almost every day we find her on top of something else. And she just looks at us and smiles like 'What?', knowing full well that she maybe shouldn't be there. It'd be a lot easier to scold her if she weren't so darn cute.

Lily, my 'runt' (who now outweighs her sister - although Payton is about an inch taller) is walking like crazy. Walking is her current hobby - she's lost interest in toys and words and everything else at the moment. She can walk across the room holding on to a sippy in front of her, or two couch pillows at her side.

Payton has no interest in walking. Lily couldn't care less about climbing. They're really very different girls at this stage. Both are talking - 'Uh-oh' is a favorite - which tells you a little bit about what goes on at our house. Both are fully eating everything our family eats. They LOVE pizza and pasta. Lily's not crazy about bananas. Payton takes her time and eats nicely, Lily shovels in and asks for more (while half of her first helping is on her lap.) I can feed payton without a bib - I would be buying Lily an entirely new wardrobe if I tried that.

Breckin is doing well - learning more words every day. We're currently working on colors, but he can count up to 10 (and sometimes past that), and say all of his ABC's. He can also tell us what about 10 of the letters 'say'. I thank Sesame Street. :)

Ashley has started ballet and still loves taekwondo. She's getting so big - just celebrated her 8th birthday, which threw her dad for a loop. I think she'll always be 2 in his mind.

Alec is playing basketball this winter and loving it. He's doing well in school and is such a huge help with the little ones at home. The little ones adore Alec and Ashley (and I think the sentiment, for the most part, is mutual.)

Mike is doing well - his back has been feeling a bit better. He has found a night job, and seems to enjoy it (twice a week), although it does make for a few long nights.

I'm doing well also. I quit Gallup (20 hours a week being away from home and family was just too much), and am now sitting at home in my jammies, picking my own hours, and freelance writing for an internet retail chain. I love it, and it helps pay the bills, so I can't complain.

And since you didn't come here to read this riveting commentary (I know you all come for the pictures!), here's what you're looking for!

Payton my climber:

The girls:

And Breckin:

Upending a can of formula on his head:

Helping dad put the cheese on his shepard's pie:

And hanging out in the toy box:

Fall is here!

2007-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

I think the more the year goes on, the busier we are! The kids are back in school and so far loving it. We've had both kids' parent-teacher conferences, and both teachers had good things to say, which is always a relief. Ashley is reading at a much higher level than she was at the end of the school year last year, and Alec had top marks in Math. We're so proud of them; we just hope the other three will follow in their footsteps.

Sports are finally over for the year for Alec. He'll start basketball in January, but for now we have some downtime, which is nice. The little stinker can beat me at Hangman now, which is fun. Ashley is still in taekwondo, and she's at a blue belt level, complete with sparring gear. She's so proud of how she's doing, and we have seen a marked improvement in her focus both at home and at school.

We're getting ready for Halloween here. We'll have all 5 kids dressed up this year, so we're very excited about that. Hopefully it won't be too cold that night! I'm not going to tell you what they're going to be - you'll have to wait (hopefully not 2 months!) for the pictures.

The girls are on the go now; they started crawling early this month. They both still prefer to scoot on their tummies, and Lily has some amazing upper-body strength, but they both can crawl. They both also had their first bath in the big bath together in September, AND they both have two bottom teeth. They're keeping right up with each other on the milestones, although they are totally different babies. Lily's very center-of-attention, get-up-and-go, and Payton will wiggle to a toy she wants and just hang out there for awhile. Lily's biggest pet peeve is being restrained, while being ignored is a very close second. Payton's incredibly laid back and willing to sit back and watch the fun. Neither one of them has mastered sleeping through the night yet...we're waiting on bated breath (no, really.)

Breckin is learning more every day. He now knows and LOOOOOOVES the song 'If you're happy and you know it'. He's learning to walk in his brand new cowboy boots, and dad is so proud. He picks up a new word every day and is quite accomplished in hopping all day.

...and Mike had a field day with the whole Missouri/Nebraska 'incident', as we call it here. He still hasn't shut up about it, and a Journal-Star newspaper article declaring 'MAULED!' is tacked to our corkboard now. You know why those Tigers celebrate so hard after beating the Huskers, right? 'Cause they never do.

And now for the pictures!! :)

The girls at 7 months:

...and 8 months:

On the go...
Lily:

Payton:

I'm not listening!

Lily's silly face (look closely...can you see her teeth??)

The first bath (battle)

Lily splashing:

...and soaked

Payton

The girls hanging out (7 months):

Attacking their brother:

I leave the room for one minute...

...and yes, that makes twice in one week...

Alec's prize for selling an item a day for the first week of his fundraiser:

Alec, fall soccer 07:

Hope this finds you all happy and healthy!
K+6

Crazy days!

2007-09-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall!

School has started, fall sports are in full swing, the kids (I'm including Mike here) and I are all busy, busy, busy! Somedays I think it'd be nice to just have a quiet, peaceful day at home, but I honestly believe I'd go crazy for lack of things to do. It's chaotic around here, but it's fun and we've pretty much gotten used to the constant flurry.

Ashley has earned her green belt in tawkwondo, and has made another (and hopefully final) elementary school switch to Arnold Elementary. She seems to be doing well and she really likes her teacher.

Alec is in both soccer and flag football, add in practices and CCD and we've got a busy little boy! He turned 8 on 9/9, and I can't believe he's so old already!

Breckin is having a good time being a toddler. He's really into FOOT!BALL! right now, and if he so much as hears the first three notes of the Missouri Tigers fight song he goes ballistic and starts screaming 'Touchdown!' and dancing and jumping. (I'm sure his dad had nothing to do with that.)

The girls are 7 months old already. They can get just about anywhere they want to go on the floor by scooting, which is fun. I've found both of them stuck under the couch this week so far. They're loving baby food but aren't too keen on anything with any texture. I've made Lily throw up twice, once by giving her a piece of banana that wasn't soupy, and once by giving her a small puff (kind of like a super-dissolvable, fruity Cheerio). I've decided we'll wait a bit longer to do real solids.

Oh, and Elmo is the 8th family member in this house. My three youngest have an insane love affair going with the furry little guy.

Mike's ok. And JUST ok. He threw his back out in July and has been really hurting since. He's done PT, cortizone shots (which don't seem to be working at all), and now is looking at surgery. Hopefully SOMETHING will work.

I'm doing well. Still working at night, which gets a little tiring sometimes, but the paycheck helps. I absolutely love being able to stay home with the kids during the day - I haven't regretted that particular decision at all.

So that's us, and since everyone just comes to see the pictures, here we go...

The girls at 6 months.

Payton:

Lily:

Lily (that bar she's holding on to is supposed to be above her head...)

Party at the crib! (Whoop! Whoop!)

Learning how to sit up:

Learning how to hold their bottles (thank GOD!)

Breckin's first pair of cowboy boots (dad's so proud!)

Crazy sleeper:

Alec's 8th Birthday party at the bowling alley:

Busy weekend!

2007-08-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend at the Lukehart household! Dad took Breckin to get his very first haircut on Friday evening. Mom about hyperventilated, but everything worked out, and Breckin came out really no worse for wear. Apparently he hated the scissors and loved the clippers - nothing like being a unique kid! :)

Mike's sister Tara graduated from UNL on Saturday, and we had a big reception for her afterwards. Congrats T!!

A few pictures of this weekend.

Lily (on her tummy) and Payton (on her back):

Breckin's First Haircut:

Befores:

You want to do WHAT to my hair??!

Mohawk

Hey - what's that on my arm??

Are we done yet?

Hot shot!

Tara's Graduation:

Receiving her diploma

Payton with Grandpa Jack:

From left: Steve, Judy, Grandma Lennie, Grandpa Jack, Tara, Aunt Mary, Uncle

Tara and Mike

Mom, Lily, Payton and Rebecca:

Mom and Lily

Grandma Judy and Lily

From Left: Breckin, Mike, Rebecca, Tara, Liz, Evan and Alex

Dad and Breckin sharing a laugh

Summer update!

2007-08-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I last posted. The summer has been total chaos, but it's gone so quickly that I'm not even sure I had time to catch my breath! The girls are 6 months old now, which is hard for this mommy to believe.
Daddy Lukehart just turned 30 this month, and we had lots of fun celebrating with him.
I got a new job a couple of nights a week at the Gallup Polls, which I really love. So far I'm the only one in my training class who has been promoted to 'Tracker' status, which basically means more money, better bonuses, and I can make my own hours instead of setting up a schedule. Plus, I can pick the projects I want to work on, which is a huge plus.
Ashley's on her way to her green belt in taekwondo (she got her yellow belt last month!), and is loving it.
Alec played baseball this summer, and was a regular 'Baby' Ruth.
Breckin has learned how to splash in the pool (and, unfortunately, the bath) like a pro, and has added quite a few words to his vocabulary ('please', 'thank you', 'pizza', 'juice', 'milk' - to name a few).
The whole family seems to have gotten into a pretty good groove, and now we're switching things up again with the start of school next week! Our 'babies' are going to be second graders, and Alec will be 8 years old in less than a month. Again, where is it that the time goes??

I have tons of pictures to share, and hope to have the 6-month pictures of the girls soon. We'll go in order by age:

Dad's 30th Birthday

The dinosaur cake I made:

All the kids in their dinosaur hats:

The man of the hour:

Grandpa and his girls (Ashley and Lily):

Alec getting ready to dive in:

Chadly, hanging out:

The family:

Like father, like son:

Ashley swimming:

Alec swimming:

Alex and Tasha:

The family:

Dad and his cake:

Dad blowing out the candles:

Alec

Our little Babe Ruth

Running like the wind:

Covering Third:

In the huddle:

Ashley

With her yellow belt and certificate:

Hi-yah!:

Block:

On stage:

Breckin

With our neighbor Hayden on the 4th:

After the pool:

'Coloring':

Hanging with the girls:

Shirt head!:

Payton and Lily:

Payton 5 months:

Lily 5 months:

Girls 5 months:

With Great Grandma Jody (dad's mom's mom):

All of us:

On the 4th:

Payton sleepy:

Lily sleepy:

With cousins (mom's cousin's kids):

Hope you're all healthy and happy!
-Kasey

4 months!

2007-06-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

I've set up a seperate 'Twins' blog to post their latest growth pictures. I still haven't figured out the table parameters, so the pictures are getting cut off a bit on the right side, but you get the idea. :)

http://lukeharttwins.blogspot.com/

I can't believe it's June. I know we had a May at some point this year, but for the life of me I can't remember it. I've been home with all three little ones for about 6 weeks now, and am ready to complicate things even further. I will have both Ashley and Alec at home with me full time this summer. It will be fun to have all the kids together, and hopefully we'll be able to find enough to do to keep everyone occupied. I'm excited to have the big kids home all day.

Breckin is getting so big. His new favorite thing to do outside is to roll down the hill in the back yard on his tummy. He and Alec roll down that hill and run back up and roll down again over and over. We really need to get our back yard fenced though, as he LOVES cars, and tends to bolt for the street when he sees one go by. It sure ups mom's heart rate, which is fun.

Lots of pictures this time around. That's what happens when I don't update for a month. :)

The 'Big Kids':

Alec, Ashley, and their friend, Justice:

Me and the brood on Mother's Day:

Breckin:

"Coloring":

Eating like a big boy:

Practicing the stairs (he's a pro now!):

Hanging out with Payton:

The girls:

Lily taking a nap:

Sharing a laugh at Grandma Genia's house:

Hanging out at home:

Enjoying their 4-month photo shoot:

Hope this finds all of you healthy and happy!
-The NEW Lukehart 7

Spring has Sprung!

2007-05-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have tons of new pictures and updates today! You can tell it's spring here - the thunderstorms are in full force, the kids have been having a great time outside, we have soccer games and visits to the park and long walks, and the windows are open most of the time. It's a great time of year!

Things are going well here. The girls are officially 3 months old now - they're getting so big already! They're much more interactive now - smiling and 'talking' and cooing...it's so much fun. AND they're a lot less cranky these days, which is a big blessing, as mom was running out of ibuprofin for her headaches! :)

I am officially a stay at home mom now - I resigned my position at the State on 5/1. Being at home with the kids all day is certainly a different job description than I'm used to, but I'm really loving it. Breckin is having a good time at home with mom and his sisters, Alec and Ashley are becoming great big helpers, and the girls love being around a bunch of smiley idiots. It's amazing the kinds of things one does to get a baby to smile.

Mike's job is going well - a little stressful at times, but what job isn't? He's a huge help at home - truly a hands-on dad, thank goodness. He can wrangle both girls simultaneously better than I can!

All in all, things are well in the Lukehart household. We're reminded daily just how amazingly blessed we are. :)

Breckin

The big boy swing:

Drawing a picture:

Closeup:

Reading:

Eating breakfast like a big boy:

The girls

With dad (and yes, he was also eating supper!):

Pretty dresses (Payton/Lily):

Holding hands:

Funny faces:

1/2/3 months (Payton/Lily):

Hope this finds you all healthy and happy!
The Lukehart 7

A few fun pictures...

2007-04-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know how they do it, but this is how I found them sleeping the other day...

Payton, conked out on dad:

Breckin 'enjoying' his dinner:

Licking the marinara off his plate:

And...marinara face:

Alec and Breckin at bedtime:

Our Anniversary!

2007-04-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our wedding anniversary on Monday. It's only been 2 years but it seems like 20! Mike and I went out to dinner where Tara works, and not only did we have candles and balloons, but she had our wedding song playing on the radio and a special-made cake! She even had a card for us that the entire staff signed! (Now THAT'S a Type-A personality!) :) It was so nice to go out and eat with my husband and not have to pick up a sippy cup off the floor 100 times, and not have to say 'No!' over and over and not have to consult the children's menu. Not that we don't love our children or anything, but it was nice to be adults for a little while. :)

Feeling all nostalgic, so I wanted to scan a few wedding pics from our album. They didn't turn out all that well, but you get the idea. :)

Easter pics

2007-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and gone and we're settling down after the chaos. A few days after Easter we had a chicken pox scare with Breckin, but the next day the spots were gone, so we're not sure what they were. The girls are getting bigger and starting to smile and coo and all of those fun things babies do. I'm having such a good time staying home with them and getting to see their day-to-day changes. We've finally gotten to a pretty regular schedule, and they're sleeping much better at night - 4-5 hours at a time some nights, which means I'm getting a little more sleep...definitely a good thing. I'm not a very happy person on no sleep. :)

Here are some Easter pics of the family.

Grandpa and the girls (Payton is in blue, Lily in pink.)

Our little family (Alec was at his dad's, unfortunately.)

Grandma Genia and the grandkids

Grandparents Lukehart and the kids

Dad and Breckin

Payton

Lily (aren't they pretty?!?!)

Hope you're all doing well!

2 months

2007-04-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

2 months yesterday - I can hardly believe it! Don't have much time this afternoon, but wanted to post a few pics - they've already changed so much! My beautiful little girls. I can't wait until Easter - I'll take lots of pictures of everyone in their best-dressed!! :)

Aaaaannnnd....my smiley little guy...

7 weeks have gone by...

2007-03-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

...and I can't believe how big the girls are getting! I'd say I don't know where the time went, but that'd be a lie...I know every moment that's passed is one less with my little newborns. They're already getting so alert; they're awake more often and have even started smiling and cooing occasionally. It's been a hectic 7 weeks, that's for sure, but dad and I (and the other 3 kids) are slowing getting into a pattern, and things are calming down.

Getting ready to head back to work is a little daunting for me. It'll be hard for me to let go and let someone else take care of the girls all day, but on the other hand, it might be a nice break. Mike has shooed me out of the house the last two nights after we put Breckin to bed, so I've gotten some time away from the chaos. I still wouldn't turn down a week in Barbados, but for the most part, I'm happy to see my smiling (sometimes), bouncing babies when I return.

Alec and Ashley are amazing big siblings. They've both gotten plenty of chances to feed the babies and help out with changing, etc. They both know how to quickly find a 'sucky' (pacifier) when the girls are fussy, and how to stay the heck away when a dirty diaper is detected. Smart kids.

Breckin's loving being a big brother. Just yesterday he gave Payton a reminder of himself - a big bite mark on the forehead. He's trying so hard to be lovey, but tends to go a little far once in awhile...so we've adapted eagle eyes around him.

Mike's job is going well - he still likes going to work in the morning (most mornings)...in fact, last Saturday afternoon, after a whole morning of crying babies, he was ready to return to work immediately! He has such gusto sometimes. :)

Here are a few pictures of the girls:

At 1 month in their jammies:

Being their angelic selves:

With grandma Judy (who has become quite the master multi-tasker!):

At 6 weeks:

(Lily is on the right in all the pictures; Payton on the left.)

And a few of Bubba at his best...

Banana baby:

His new trick (I found him on the steering wheel, but didn't get the camera in time...):

With one of his favorite toys; dad's hair brush:

Hangin' out with dad (and pulling dad's hair out...):

Throwing a temper tantrum 'cause he wanted the camera:

Hope this finds you all happy and healthy!!
Love,
Kasey and the other 6 Lukeharts! :)

1 month and counting...

2007-03-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (3/5) the girls will officially be 1 month old!
Here's a picture I took of them last week.

Payton is on the right, Lily is on the left.

Here's Payton in the swing:

And Lily in the swing:

Cute, huh?

Both girls are doing well. Both are...vocal...at certain times, but that's all part of the fun. :) At 2 weeks, Payton was 7'5/21.75", and Lily was 5'15/19.75". They're growing like little weeds! I know they're much bigger now - filling out their newborn clothes and starting to really fill out their 0-3 month stuff. I cannot WAIT until this summer when I can get them in little pink and purple frilly dresses!

I have more pictures, but on dialup it takes forever to upload them, so I'll update when I get more online. Hope this finds all of you healthy and happy!

-The (New) Lukehart 7! :)

34 Weeks

2007-01-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Had my 34 week appointment today - things are going great! Both babies are doing well - nice, strong heartbeats and good growth. The dr. said he doesn't want to induce, and so far, the no C-Section plan is in full swing! Yippee!! Now I just have to hold these two in for another month (we want their birthday to be 2/2!), and everything will be perfect!!

Oh, and no wonder I'm really hurting at this point! 'Righty' weighed in at 4'5, and 'Lefty' is now 5'2! Good, good, good! I want them up at 6' each, at least! :)

Here's an ADORABLE pic we got of 'Righty' (even though it says 'LT', it was righty) holding on to her toes. It was so sweet to see her playing with and sucking on her little feet - makes it so real!

And here's a pic of both of their heads together. (Righty has a pinhead like her father!)

Cute, huh? Not too much longer!!

The Final Stretch...

2006-12-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. I'm achy. I really, REALLY hurt. My pelvis, I'm convinced, is about ready to break in half. My back is killing me. There is no longer a 'comfortable position' sitting at my desk. My butt goes numb if I sit in one position for more than 10 minutes. I don't walk, I waddle. Like a Weeble. It's charming, really. I have almost a constant headache. I can't lay down without undergoing an entire production, and trying to flip around or turn in bed is almost as fun as poking my own eyeballs out with a spoon. My heartburn gets so bad sometimes that I literally can not breathe. My bottom lip is raw and swollen from me biting it, so as not to cry out in the middle of the night when I have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom...again.

BUT

It's amazing how quickly all of that is forgotten in times like these. I'm sitting here, messing around 'cause I don't feel like working, drinking a Mt. Dew 'cause my heartburn, evidently, isn't bad enough today. And lefty starts getting feisty. She's turning circles in there, I can feel it. Like a little top. She's liking the Mt. Dew.

And then righty gets hiccups. She's always so laid-back, so getting hiccups is probably the most I feel her move during the day. She gets hiccups a lot - way more than her sister. Especially if I stand up after sitting for a little while. I chuckle and rub the right side of my belly. She sticks her butt out at me.

Lefty's still flipping around - getting in some cardio for the day. She's the spirited one - she's going to be the one with the tom-boyish name, 'cause she's going to be the one jumping out of trees and hanging upside-down from the top of the monkey bars. She's going to be the little leader of the duo - she's going to have her work cut out for her if her older brother has anything to say about it.

All the movement gets righty moving a little more. Not in a pissy way, more in a 'geesh, do you ever shut up?' way - with lots of love thrown in. She turns her back to her sister and goes back to sleep.

Lefty calms down a bit, and burrows back into my hip socket for a little nap, herself.

I can see them already. I can see lefty, at two, with pigtails and peanut-butter and jelly smeared over her chubby little cheeks. I can see her sticky handprints on screen door heading out back. I can see her little green eyes shining in secret amusement when I pick her up for the third time that night to put her back in bed. I can see her rolling around in the grass with her father, while I stand on the back steps, shaking my head and praying that she dosen't break her fool neck.

I can see righty, pretty brown hair flowing loose, 'cause she doesn't like it up. I can see her shrieking with glee when mommy decides she can wear just a dab of sparkly, strawberry-flavored lip gloss. I can see her humming to her little baby doll, and rocking her gently. I can see her giggling when I kiss her tummy before I zip her frilly pink pj's up. I can see her begging me to read Cinderella 'jus one more time, mama!' before bed, and I can see the little smile she wears in her sleep, dreaming that she's the princess with the 'bootiful' blue dress and the glass slippers.

It's amazing how fast the hurt goes away, sometimes, when I think about what it's all about. It's amazing how fast the stress and strain go away when I think about their little smiles. It's amazing how quickly I feel better when I think about my two beautiful little girls, and realize that one day I'm going to look back on this time and wish for it all over again, 'cause that would mean I could still keep them safe. That would mean I could still hold them and rock them and cuddle them. That would mean they're still mine. 'Cause I know better than anyone...time goes much too quickly. :)

Busy holidays!

2006-12-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Well, almost. It's that time of year again...WHERE did the year go, by the way? I can't believe it's almost 2007, and almost time for the girls to make their big debut! It seems like just yesterday that I was gearing up to come back to work after my LAST baby. Now we're contemplating Family Medical Leave and benefits information.

The girls are doing well. I had a doctor appt. on Wednesday, and they're both growing like little champs. 'Lefty' is the brute of the two - weighing in at a gigantic 3'15. She's also in the lead, position wise, and they're both still head-down - yaaaaay! The doc said I'll be able to skip the C-Section if things stay this way, which is a huge relief. 'Righty's right behind her sister, weighing in at a whopping 3'11. My next appt. is January 3rd, then back on my birthday (1/11) for my Beta Strep test. I can't believe how fast the time is flying by!

I've been dealing with lots of contractions lately. The doc has prescribed trebutiline for me if I have more than 4 an hour, but it makes me really shaky and yucky feeling, and I really don't like taking it. I know I'm not actually in labor, but it makes me a bit nervous that the girls feel the need to 'practice' already. I'd like to keep them safe in my belly for at least another 5-6 weeks. (I'll be 33 weeks on Sunday.) They still have a lot of growing to do, although I don't know HOW - I'm big as a house already!

Breckin is doing really well. He's recently learned how to 'A-CHOO'! when anyone sneezes. It's good that he can entertain himself. :) That kid has a feisty streak a mile long, though, and we're a little worried about his reaction to having a coupla little sisters. He's pretty vocal about his opinion when he's not getting the attention he desires, so this should be interesting.

Both older kids are doing well. Ashley will be switching schools at the beginning of the new semester in February, and seems pretty excited about it. Alec's having a ball learning about Hanakkuh from his first grade teacher, who is Jewish. They made potato latkes the other day, and he had his very first piece of Hanakkuh gelt. It's interesting to learn along with him, as I really don't know much about the holiday either.

That's our little update. We're all excited for Christmas this weekend, and possibly getting to catch a peek at SANTA! I hope he brings the kids something other than reindeer poop this year! :)

Happy holidays to you and yours!
-Kasey

Long time no see!

2006-12-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, it's been a whole month since I updated! How does time get away like that?

Things are getting exciting and a bit hectic at home. The reality that we're going to have TWO newborns in about 8 weeks is a little overwhelming! We're excited to see the girls, though. Things are progressing well for me. I'm getting pretty tired and achy lately, but that's ok. I'd much rather the babies are growing big and strong in my belly than in the NICU. And they're getting BIG! At my ultrasound on 11/22, 'Lefty' was estimated to be about 2 lbs. 13 oz, and 'Righty' was about 2 lbs. 9 oz. They should be gaining about 4 oz. a day from now on. Here's a pic of me on Breckin's birthday, 11/11. I was 27 weeks here, but I look waaaay bigger than I did with Breckin! Can you imagine how big I'll be before it's all over? Geesh.

It's starting to get harder to walk now, and darn near impossible to get out of bed. Thank god we don't have a waterbed! :)

The kids are all excited about the upcoming holiday. We took them to pick out a Christmas tree last weekend, and they had the BEST time decorating it with their own special ornaments. Kind of looks like the ornament aisle at Menards exploded in our living room, but that's part of the fun.

We're all getting over being sick, too. Breckin had a secondary ear infection last week, so he stayed home with mom on Monday and Tuesday. I hate when my babies are sick, but I'm not gonna lie...it WAS nice to cuddle with him on the couch for a couple days. The kid rarely sits still...ever...anymore, so it was nice to have that time with him. Poor guy was miserable, but he woke up last Saturday 100% better and hasn't stopped running (or, rather, crawling really, really fast...) since. Alec was also sick with Bronchitis and an ear infection. Dad had a sinus infection and I was hung up with a chest cold and a sore throat. It was a mess. Luckily, we're all starting to feel better.

BOTH of our big kids got their report cards this past month, and BOTH kids are doing amazing in school. (Like you had any doubt, right?) We're so lucky to have such bright, amazing kids. What great little role models for their little brother and sisters.

Mike's doing well in his new job - it's a great fit for him. He loves going to work everyday, which makes him easier to live with at home too! ;) (I'm kidding honey.) They have a Christmas dinner coming up on the 22nd, and I have no idea what I have that will fit. I may just say forget it and wear a sheet. I won't be the most stylish, but then again, you don't see many stylish beach balls these days anyway.

Hope you all are doing well and the holidays find you in good health and good spirits. We might even get Christmas cards out at some point this year...what a concept!

Halloween and Alec's Bday presents!

2006-11-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

It was only about 40 below here on Halloween, so we had a very small window for taking outside pics. Regardless, we still got a few cute ones. Here's Breckin on the front porch with the pumpkins Alec and Ashley decorated.

Mmmm...candy!

What, no more candy??

We also got to celebrate Alec's birthday all over again. Grandma and grandpa Lukehart couldn't make it to his actual party, so he got to open his presents this past weekend. He was pretty excited!

We made him open the smallest gift first. He's thinking...'Yaaay...batteries?'

A very cool 'Cars' tshirt and some camo shorts!

A game set? I LOVE games!

WOW - Spiderman Walkie-Talkies!

He also got a pair of Spiderman pj's that he loved, and wore that night!

Breckin also got a birthday 'gift' from great grandma and grandpa Lukehart - here he is 'reading' his card. He loved it! (And his piggy bank loved the money - thank you!!)

As if he didn't have enough energy...

Our Baby is 1!

2006-11-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

So it's been a whole year since our little guy, Breckin, was born. I don't know where the time went! Seems like forever, yet seems like just yesterday. Mike and I were talking the other night, and we can barely remember the first few weeks at home with him - the true 'newborn stage'. It's hard to think back to the time when he was so tiny and helpless...maybe that's a good thing!

He's such a little pistol now. A true daddy's boy to the core, the child couldn't be more like his father if he tried. He's completely full of energy, and like a wind-up toy, could run for days if we let him. But when he crashes, he CRASHES...all the consoling in the world won't help when he's over-tired. He has, unfortunately, inherited his mother's lack of patience, and doesn't like to wait for something he wants. Luckily we've been able to set up a pretty good schedule with him, and as long as we don't vary from the schedule, he's an absolute joy to be around. The kid would do wonderfully in the military, with his need for structure. (But that would mean he'd be uneducated and intellectually lazy, right Mr. Kerry??) ;)

He's not walking independently yet, but he's a pro at 'cruising' around the furniture. He stands independently, and crawls like a champ...he's a quick little guy! He definitely keeps us on our toes, that's for sure. He has a box set of little Sesame Street board books from Uncle Ron and Aunt Cindy that he loves. He will spend half an hour at a time just pulling the books out of the box, 'reading them' (ie chewing on them, or opening them to see the pictures), and throwing them on the floor. He also loves his little Fisher Price roll-a-round balls. Grandma Genia got him a roll-a-rounds dinosaur and Great Grandma Lennie got him a roll-a-rounds gumball machine for Christmas last year...he loves both!

Dad's so proud that his little 'Missouri Tiger' has mastered the full-body tackle. He especially loves to tackle his big Winnie the Pooh bear that he got from Aunt Angela and Uncle Lonnie this year. I say he's just giving Pooh 'hugs', but dad's convinced he's working on his defensive skills for the field. (Which would be good, 'cause according to the way Mizzou played against NEBRASKA last weekend, it looks like the Tigers need some better defenders...)

He's not talking much yet - he babbles a lot though. Dad taught him to say 'yee haw!', and he'll spend whole days toddling around and saying 'yee-AH!' He's got 'mama' and 'dad/dy' mastered, although he uses 'mama' and 'dad/dy' for most objects, so I'm not convinced he's being specific. He LOVES to blow kisses - he's such a little ham. And he can clap and do 'Touchdown!', and blow raspberries. He thinks he's pretty good looking, apparently, and loves to see himself in the mirror.

We have his one-year checkup at the dr. sometime in the next week or two. He'll have to get 4 shots, which mom is REALLY not looking forward to, but we'll get through it.

Anyway, that's our update on my little big man. It's so unbelievable that it's been almost a year since he was born. I'll probably spend all day on Saturday (11/11) crying, just thinking about it. ;)

Breckin, his first day of life:

Big smiles for the camera:

3 months - loving the playmat!:

5 months:

Lovin' on dad:

Hangin' out in the playpen:

9 months:

Halloween 2006: